Methods for operating a drive unit, in which a setpoint value is predetermined for an output variable of the drive unit, are already known. Thus, in a drive unit of a motor vehicle, for example, having an internal combustion engine, it is not possible to produce any arbitrarily small torque, but rather a torque range exists which cannot be set between the overrun fuel cutoff, at which the absolute smallest torque without fuel injection lies, and operation using a torque at the minimum fuel injection required for operating the internal combustion engine. For operation using a vehicle-speed controller, cruise control operation, frequent switching back and forth between operation of the drive unit using overrun fuel cutoff and operation of the drive unit using minimum fuel injection is to be avoided, since the surges connected with the torque jumps resulting therefrom are disturbing to the driver of the vehicle. To avoid such overly frequent switching back and forth, speed-dependent hysteresis is used. In this case, during normal operation, in which an actual speed of the vehicle approximately corresponds to a setpoint speed, overrun fuel cutoff is forbidden. In such an operating state, the minimum settable torque corresponds to the torque at minimum fuel injection. If the difference between the actual speed and the setpoint speed exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the overrun fuel cutoff is enabled and the minimum settable torque jumps to the absolute smallest torque without fuel injection. To avoid too frequent switching back and forth, the predetermined threshold value is typically set to comparatively high speed differences, so that the overrun fuel cutoff first becomes active when the setpoint speed has already been significantly exceeded, while traveling on a downgrade, for example.